Why does the making of fully upholstered furniture still require skilled handcraft work?

The manufacture of fully upholstered furniture remains largely a handicraft because the complex assembly of internal components does not lend itself to efficient mass production. While machines can effectively cut multiple layers of fabric, the intricate process of building and securing the upholstery foundation requires the expertise of trained craftsmen to ensure a quality finished product.1

The standard foundation involves a system of coiled steel springs that must be carefully positioned on a webbing of burlap and tied to the furniture frame. These springs are then embedded in various filling materials—such as rubberized hair, foam rubber, or palm fibre—and topped with precise padding of cotton or foam sheets. Because the mechanical handling of these bedding and filler materials has not proven to be economical or efficient, the skill of an experienced upholsterer is essential to achieve the necessary comfort and structural integrity. Consequently, even in modern manufacturing, individual hand workmanship is required for processes where the overall quality would suffer if automated machinery were used instead.12